episode_0040

Even though the lights were off and it was dark, the flashing in front of my eyes felt dazzling.

Ayakashi blared a warning sound, but it didn’t register as proper words in my brain; instead, it sounded like individual letters, making it impossible to interpret.

And then, pain!

The pain, burrowing deep into my body from the center of my solar plexus, only then made me realize I had expelled all the air from my lungs, forcing me to quickly draw hot air back in.

Hot air? Yes. Air so hot it felt like a building was on fire.

Had I died in one blow and fallen into hell?

Where would you find an excellent and exemplary Eclipse Point citizen like me, deserving of hell?

Thinking the bar for heaven was truly high, and wondering if even angels accepted bribes, my vision slowly returned to reveal wooden chairs, water buckets, and a steaming tub.

“It’s hot. I’m a cool city guy, so I can’t stand hot things; I even shower with cold water…”

I felt like if I stayed for just ten more minutes, I’d turn into a cooked radioactive octopus with sixty-three legs.

To be sent flying specifically into a sauna, it felt like it was deliberately designed to screw me over.

“We like to fully immerse ourselves in hot water~”

“Damn, I have to go in right now.”

A white fox poked her head through the broken sauna door.

Yuki, with her ears perked up and a faint smile, fortunately showed no visible injuries.

“What should we do? At least, there aren’t any mixed-gender baths that we know of.”

“In that case, since I can’t detach my precious dick, I’ll just have to rip off the women’s bath sign.”

Kana, who appeared next, also seemed unscathed from her battle with the scorpion woman called Hotentota, only slightly dusty and with some torn clothes.

Yuki and Kana’s faces were flushed, but given their style of frantic running and evasive maneuvers, it was probably due to severe physical exertion.

*Thump.*

The very person who threw me into this damnable sauna was walking straight towards me.

“Hoo… Both of you, run away.”

I couldn’t leave such a guy to the two of them, so I stood up.

I had no choice but to leave the scorpion woman to them because she wasn’t two bodies, but my escort mission wasn’t over.

But Yuki and Kana discarded their empty pistol magazines, loaded new ones, and, with their backs to me, aimed their muzzles at the dark, cavernous opening.

“Jun, I don’t like abandoning my people. And Jun, you’re one of my people now too.”

“Kana. Isn’t it unfair to arbitrarily call him your person~?”

“Oh, I’ve been caught.”

Bosses who risk their lives to protect a mercenary they’ve only known for two weeks.

It might be a heartwarming tale, but in this damn city, there’s nothing more foolish than this.

‘If push comes to shove, I’ll knock them both out and escape as much as possible…’

The new boss of Neo Shinsengumi, who would be difficult, or highly probable, to defeat even for Blake or Jay Q, who actively utilize drones and vehicles.

Still, if I risk my life, perhaps I could get them to a safe place.

[This AI does not agree with Jwabudong’s decision. It recommends escaping using the friendly entities as decoys.]

‘I told you I’d put some emotion into my missions from now on. And if I abandon these guys who are risking their lives to protect me and live, I’ll just end up alone again, living like a bug. Besides, who knows, I might even survive if I play it right?’

Ayakashi, who had been issuing warnings in a sharper tone than usual, fell silent, knowing better than anyone that its strong AI assistance was needed for that low probability.

Ultimately, it meant cooperation.

Though they pretended otherwise, I could hear the pounding hearts of the two foxes, full of tension and fear.

Equipped with Bio Kitsune Ears, superior by dozens of times to normal human hearing, the two of them could probably hear each other’s rapid heartbeats even better.

And from the darkness, the man revealed himself.

*Thump, thump, thump.*

Hijikata Toshirō, even seeing the muzzles aimed at him, did not slow his pace and walked straight forward.

As if saying such things posed no threat.

“Ugh…!”

Just then, Yuki bit her lip and tried to pull the pistol’s trigger.

‘Accelerate…!’

“I have no hobby of intimidating women.”

Contrary to expectations that the sword at his waist would be drawn, Hijikata Toshirō walked past the stunned Yuki and Kana, entered the sauna, brushed past me, and plumped himself down onto the wooden chair behind me.

What on earth was he doing? As I pondered, his mouth opened.

“You sit down too. Rune’s Bar mercenary.”

“…What do you want?”

“It seems there’s been a slight misunderstanding, but ‘I’ did not commission any assassination. I merely came here in person to have a conversation and verify facts.”

“Does a person who wants to talk usually beat up a just and exemplary person like me and throw them into a sauna?”

“It couldn’t be helped. Though it’s not exactly compensation, all those villains from Kyojinkai have been dealt with, so you can rest easy.”

Did this bastard really just throw me here because he wanted to sit in a sauna?

Feeling my common sense fly out the window for a moment, I sat down next to the man, who seemed to have no intention of attacking if I complied.

The hot, humid air further heated the inside of my sweat-soaked bulletproof vest, making it utterly miserable.

“You two there, it’ll be boring to wait standing up, so sit down.”

“Hmm…”

“Uh…”

Yuki and Kana, looking perplexed at how things were unfolding, also reluctantly sat down on the adjacent chairs.

Fortunately, the broken door made it bearable, but the four of us ended up huddled together in the small, hot sauna.

Was this Hijikata guy a true madman? He scooped water from the bucket and splashed it onto the heated stones.

*Sizzle!* Steam instantly rose, filling the sauna and making it disgustingly hot.

“Aargh!!! You son of a bitch!!!”

“Now, shall we talk?”

This mad samurai cosplayer, having finally fixed the door, was now profusely sweating, dressed only in the bizarrely shaped traditional underwear called a fundoshi.

A fiery hell at a temperature that made even the Japanese-descended Yuki and Kana almost faint!

Was he trying to make me dizzy and trick me into a fraudulent contract?

“Haaah…”

How did I end up getting caught by such a madman?

I don’t know why, of all things, my first assignment involved getting entangled with this insane samurai group and suffering like this.

“What’s wrong? If you’re hot, why don’t you take off your clothes too?”

“Fuck off. I want to get out right now.”

“By the way, you look young, but your skills are quite good.”

“I’m old enough to be called ‘Mister’ by the kids going to school now.”

Even so, compared to the rich who receive anti-aging treatments and live for decades with bodies in their 30s, I’m still just a kid.

According to urban legends, there are even megacorp chairmen who have lived for over 200 years, spanning three centuries.

“Is that so. That thing on your arm. The size is a bit different, but it looks like Mr. Kondō’s cyberware, is that right?”

Now that I think about it, I remember Raleigh saying something about blowing up that gorilla’s head and eliminating hostile entity Kondō Layton.

“…I suppose so. The different size is because it was resized.”

“Then did you kill Mr. Kondō?”

I can’t deny that I played a large role in killing that gorilla, but it feels a bit off to say I killed him.

After all, it was Raleigh who sniped him to death.

But if I were to point to Raleigh, things might start to get complicated again.

“What if I say yes?”

“It wasn’t you.”

Hijikata, seeming to grasp something from my clumsy words, nodded confidently, then fixed his stern eyes on me again and spoke gravely.

“Mr. Kondō wanted to create a Shinsengumi that exerted influence beyond Japantown, into the lower city of Eclipse Point and even further. Because of that, his actions gradually became more extreme, and he committed acts like a ruffian.”

‘Wasn’t this ‘Neo Shinsengumi’ originally just a yakuza gang anyway?’

[According to evaluations within the EPSB database, Neo Shinsengumi began as a vigilante group operating in Japantown, but gradually expanded its scale, transforming into a profit-making organization, and later a gang.]

So, they’re vigilante thugs with swords, then.

Nevertheless, it seems they had some positive functions, such as cooperating with the EPSB or stabilizing the power structure of Japantown.

“Mr. Kondō considered this an opportunity to rise higher, and then met with an unfortunate incident.”

‘Burying a former EPSB director who possessed information that could completely overturn powers, of course, there would have been many benefits to gain…’

“Despite such a pathetic end, Mr. Kondō is my benefactor. I’d like you to return it.”

He explained this and that, but simply put, he was asking for the Smash Grenade.

“Why should I return it?”

If he offered to spare my life, I’d have nothing to say, but a mercenary’s mindset dictates that when there’s profit to be made, one should extract the most, even if it means risking one’s life.

The source was Jay Q.

Hijikata seemed to ponder for a moment before something occurred to him, and he looked at the thoroughly sweat-soaked Yuki and Kana.

As his gaze suddenly shifted, the frightened fox-sisters flinched and trembled.

“You two seem to have a special bond, so I’ll look after those women for a while. Of course, I’ll also hand over the remnants of Kyojinkai, which ceased to exist today.”

“No…”

Whether it was a special bond was ambiguous, and there wasn’t much benefit for me either.

I made an ambiguous expression, but seeing Yuki and Kana’s faces, looking as if they’d unexpectedly won the Super Bowl, I wondered if I should just accept it.

The Smash Grenade, it had certainly been useful until now, but I couldn’t say there wasn’t better cyberware.

I thought it wasn’t bad to simply hand this over and put them in my debt.

“…Alright. I accept.”

“Then, to avenge Mr. Kondō’s death, may I cut off your arm and take it?”

“…”

“It’s a joke. I’ll send you the address, so deliver it within a week.”

“You’re really fucking boring.”

“Fortunately, I’ve had a small revenge.”

The guy who had threatened me chillingly then, wearing nothing but his fundoshi, casually opened the sauna door and coolly walked out.

An action closer to that of a monstrous eccentric than a madman.

Even if I wanted to beat him thoroughly and correct his behavior, he’s just too damn strong, so fighting him is a burden.

Let’s just say I was bitten by a cyborg dog bastard that was out for a walk without a leash or harness, and received settlement money.

“I’m alive…”

The tension simply drained away.

Perhaps it was just that the sauna was disgustingly hot, making my mind hazy.

Already in the suffocating air, pressed down by the sweat-drenched foxes who suddenly pounced on me, I felt my life threatened.

We safely returned to the hideout.

With the protection of Neo Shinsengumi, still a powerful force in Japantown despite its diminished strength, and carrying what Kyojinkai had left behind.

I also found it awkward not to take anything, so I picked up the katana that Kyokyujin Goro used to carry.

It was quite good.

Amidst the cheers of the K.I.T.S.U.N.E members, we held another noisy party.

Of course, having fought battle after battle, I was utterly exhausted, so I went upstairs and lay sprawled on my bed, listening to the thumping music from the first floor.

Yuki and Kana, having shaken off some of their fatigue, must have incredible stamina, unlike me, still full of vigor and livening up the party.

‘Since Neo Shinsengumi is watching our backs, my escort mission is finally coming to an end.’

It’s about time the organization needed its own combat capabilities, so they’ll have to learn various things from Neo Shinsengumi, and my role will revert to the members and disappear.

Thinking about returning to my comrades felt good, yet also bittersweet, knowing I would part with those I had grown fond of.

‘Well, in this cramped city, there’s no reason we can’t meet if we try. Let’s hang out sometimes.’

After all, Japantown has plenty of entertainment.

*Knock, knock-*

-“Jun, are you sleeping?”

As I was lost in thought, a welcome voice came from outside the door.

“I’m not asleep yet, come in.”

Were Yuki and Kana here to have one last drink with me before I left, now that the mission was nearing its end?

I was a bit tired, but if that was the case, it was only natural to conjure up non-existent stamina and join them.

Ayakashi once again rattled off incomprehensibly difficult names of chemical reactions or substances, mentioning something about fatigue, but I pushed it aside.

*Creak.* As the door opened, Yuki and Kana stood there, just as I expected.

“Hey, you two…”

“It’s a relief Jun went straight upstairs, saying he was tired. Thanks to that, we were able to sneak out~?”

“We wanted to take a bit more time, but things worked out too well, so it couldn’t be helped.”

Though their usual attire was provocative, it was always merely revealing and subtly stimulating, yet they were properly clothed.

But what the fox-sisters were wearing now was just a single large bath towel.

And they were merely sharing that one towel, draped together, so as it opened with a *flutter*, it revealed their naked forms, their soft white skin visible even beyond the mesh.

Two lush, bi-colored tails swayed with seductive, flowing curves.

” “So, we came for a Yobai.” ”

The voices of the two foxes overlapped, and two pairs of strangely curved red eyes fixed on me.